The Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 on Tuesday, June 5, to authorize county planners to draft a rezoning plan for the former North Carroll High School in Hampstead.

Commissioners suggested that the second of two parcels be zoned for restricted industrial use to allow a variety of revenue opportunities in the coming years — also offsetting maintenance costs so the building wouldn’t have to be demolished and could possibly be used as a school again in the future.

“What’s the downside?” asked Commissioner Doug Howard, R-District 5. “Let’s do this. I think what we’re trying to do is avoid what I think would be the most unfortunate circumstance — if the building failed to exist.

“Aggressively pursuing a good alternative is the best chance that building exists,” he said, “not sitting around waiting. So we’ve got to move now. Getting the building out here makes sense; the zoning makes sense; dealing with Hampstead makes sense.”

The vote allows for the Town of Hampstead to begin drafting the rezoning plan, which would affect the portion of the school campus on the second parcel — with the building and parking lot — and leave the first parcel as is — with a track and football field, baseball and softball field, basketball and tennis courts — for recreational use.

And even though Hampstead officials have disagreed in the past that rezoning the property could be a possible solution, Mayor Chris Nevin said Tuesday the town is now reconsidering the plan.

“We’re open to considering a portion of the property to be rezoned,” Nevin said in a phone interview.

Commissioner Richard Weaver, R-District 2, however, has not been swayed.

He was the dissenting vote at Tuesday’s commissioner meeting, stating that he did not believe it was wise to rezone the property before anyone expresses interest to move into it.

“We designated what we wanted it for and then something changed,” Weaver said of the current predicament, in reference to the previous plan that called for the Board of Education offices and a portion of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office be re-located to the former school.

“And we don't want to run into this again. Not until we find out what the zoning change should be,” Weaver said.

Howard disagreed. “The weakest position is let’s just sit here and wait for someone to want the building and then say they can probably change the zoning without knowing if we can or not,” he said.

He also said it makes no sense that Fuchs North America Inc., the spice company across from the former school, would be better suited for one side of the street than the other and that if a comparable business were to express interest in the North Carroll property, the town should technically be just as excited.

“I guarantee you some board will be sitting here in three years and have to decide, ‘Do we put in multimillions of dollars to keep it empty or tear it down?,’ ” Howard said. “I say that’s very unfair, and let’s give it a shot to be something productive.”

Miles Taylor, a 2013 Westminster graduate with cerebral palsy, weighs just 99 pounds. He recently gained widespread social media attention when a video of him deadlifting 200 pounds went viral. Miles trains at NEVERsate Athletics in Westminster with his coach, Nicolai Meyers.

Miles Taylor, a 2013 Westminster graduate with cerebral palsy, weighs just 99 pounds. He recently gained widespread social media attention when a video of him deadlifting 200 pounds went viral. Miles trains at NEVERsate Athletics in Westminster with his coach, Nicolai Meyers.

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Kate Maerten of Gerstell Academy, 1st place winner of the Poetry Out Loud regional competition, reads an original poem which she won a 2nd Place for, at the Carroll Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Kate Maerten of Gerstell Academy, 1st place winner of the Poetry Out Loud regional competition, reads an original poem which she won a 2nd Place for, at the Carroll Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Recruits in the Carroll County Sheriff's Office Training Academy get hands-on training behind the wheel of a police car at the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions Driver Training Facility in Sykesville.

Recruits in the Carroll County Sheriff's Office Training Academy get hands-on training behind the wheel of a police car at the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions Driver Training Facility in Sykesville.